Refrigeration apparatus divider wall mounting means

ABSTRACT

A refrigeration appliance having a cabinet divided into side-byside compartments by a vertical divider. The divider is received in an elongated track member having a channel in an outer portion thereof and a passage for conducting water condensate from the channel into the above-freezing compartment of the cabinet. Insulation is provided in the channel in a rear vertical portion of the track member to be abutted by a rear edge portion of the divider.

United States Patent Tillman Mar. 25, 1975 [54] REFRIGERATION APPARATUS DIVIDER 2,534,272 12/1950 Kleist 62/329 EA 3,605,431 9/1971 (1118011.... 02/329 WALL MOUNTING M NS 3,670,521 0/1972 Dodge 02/329 [75] Inventor: Harry Lucian Tillman, Evansville,

Ind.

[73] Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation, Benton- Harbor, Mich.

[22] Filed: June 13, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 478,880

[52] U.S. Cl. 62/329, 62/291 [51] Int. Cl. F25d 23/00 [58] Field of Search 62/326, 329, 285, 291

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,103,683 12/1937 Kabisher 62/329 2,437,414 3/1948 Archbald 62/329 Primary Eranziner-William J. Wye Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wegner, Stellman. McCord, Wiles & Wood [5 7] ABSTRACT A refrigeration appliance having a cabinet divided into side-by-side compartments by a vertical divider. The divider is received in an elongated track member having a channel in an outer portion thereof and a passage for conducting water condensate from the channel into the above-freezing compartment of the cabinet. lnsulation is provided in the channel in a rear vertical portion of the track member to be abutted by a rear edge portion of the divider.

18 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures REFRIGERATION APPARATUS DIVIDER WALL MOUNTING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and in particular to means for mounting a divider wall in a refrigeration apparatus cabinet.

2. Description of the Prior Art In one form of conventional refrigeration appliance, a cabinet is divided into a pair of side-by-side compartments by a vertical divider wall. Conventionally, one of the compartments is cooled to below freezing temperatures so as to define a freezer compartment. The other compartment is conventionally cooled to above freezing temperatures to define a conventional refrigerator fresh food compartment.

One form of such a side-by-side refrigerator cabinet is illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,670,52l ofGerald Floyd Dodge III et al. As shown therein, the divider is removably positioned within the cabinet by upper and lower channel shaped guide members. The divider is provided with a sealing gasket having flexible extensions engaging the adjacent surfaces of the cabinet when the divider is in position within the cabinet. The channel guide members receive fluid conduits and electrical conductors of the apparatus.

A similar construction is shown in US. Pat. No. 3,674,359 of William P. Crowe.

In US. Pat. No. 3,726,578 of William .1. Armstrong,

a convertible side-by-side refrigerator is shown wherein an upper end section of a divider is movable between vertical and horizontal positions. The distal end of the movable section is provided with a sealing gasket which selectively engages the top wall of the cabinet or a side wall of the cabinet depending on the selective positioning of the top section.

It is desirable, in such refrigeration apparatus, to eliminate condensate liquid from within the cabinet, and to this end, it has been conventional to provide an opening in the bottom wall of the cabinet for passing condensate liquid to a pan in the machinery compartment where heat generated by the apparatus evaporates the collected condensate. Such a structure is shown in Leonard J. Mann US. Pat. No. 2,723,533.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprehends an improved means for dividing an interior space of a refrigeration appliance, such as a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer. The dividing means includes a vertical divider wall which is mounted to the cabinet by means of an elongated track member having a bottom portion receiving the bottom edge portion of the divider, and a rear portion receiving the rear edge portion of the divider.

The track member further defines a channel underlying the bottom edge portion of the divider wall in the lower portion of the track member, and extending rearwardly of the rear edge portion of the divider wall in the vertical, rear section of the track member.

The channel means is provided with a flow passage for conducting water condensate from the lower channel portion into the above-freezing compartment of the refrigerator for elimination thereby by air flowing through the refrigerated compartment.

A foam gasket is provided in the channel of the rear portion of the track member for preventing air movement therein. The gasket further acts as a snubber accommodating expansion and contraction of the divider resulting from varying temperatures in the refrigeration apparatus.

In the illustrated embodiment, the gasket is formed of a resilient foamed plastic.

The track member is further provided with flanges which are biased against the cabinet liner in the installed arrangement of the track member both along the bottom wall of the liner and the rear wall of the liner.

Thus, the divider wall means of the present invention is extremely simple and economical of construction while yet providing the highly desirable features discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other features andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a refrigeration apparatus provided with a dividing wall structure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged exploded perspective view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is afragmentary enlarged horizontal section takensubstantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a refrigeration apparatus generally designated 10 is shown to include a cabinet 11 provided with an inner liner l2 defining an interior space 13 to be refrigerated. Space 13 is divided into a pair of side-by-side compartments 14 and 15 by a divider wall 16. Compartment 14 is selectively closed by a first door 17 and compartment 15 is selectively closed by a second door 18.

Apparatus 10 may comprise a conventional refrigerator-freezer appliance wherein compartment 14 is refrigerated to a below-freezing temperature and compartment 15 is refrigerated to an above-freezing temperature by conventional refrigeration means including a compressor, condenser, expansion device and evaporator (not shown).

The present invention is concerned with an improved divider wall construction generally designated 16 wherein a divider generally designated 19 is received in a track member generally designated 20 carried on the cabinet liner 12. As best seen in FIG. 2, the cabinet defines a bottom wall portion 21, an inclined lower rear wall portion 22, and a vertical upper rear wall portion 23. Track member 20 correspondingly includes a front portion 24, an intermediate portion 25, and a rear portion 26 on cabinet portions 21, 22 and 23, respectively. Bottom wall 21 of the cabinet may define troughs 27 within compartment 15 for receiving condensate water which may collect in the operation of the refrigeration apparatus, such condensate water being absorbed. by the air flowing through the compartment 15 in the normal operation of the apparatus.

Divider 19 comprises a body of foam insulation 28 sandwiched between plastic liner sheet sides 29 and 30. Alternately, insulation 28 may comprise pre-formed expanded polystyrene bead slab insulation or any other suitable insulating material. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, sides 29 and 30 include inturned edges 31 which terminate in spaced relationship, with the space therebetween being bridged by a suitable sealing tape 32.

Track member may comprise an extruded plastic element. As shown, the track member may include a pair of spaced flanges 33 embracing the bottom edge portion 34 of the divider at track portions 24 and and embracing rear edge portion 35 at track rear portion 26, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

As further shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, track member 20 includes a pair of outturned sealing flanges 36 engaging the cabinet liner 12.

Track member 20 further includes a central portion 37 defining a channel 38 opening upwardly in sections 24 and 25 and forwardly in section 26. The track member further defines a pair ofinwardly extending support flange portions 39 at opposite sides of the channel which, as shown in FIG. 3, support the bottom edge portion 34 of the divider. As shown in FIG. 4, the flanges 39 serve to retain a resilient foam insulation strip, or gasket, 40 in channel 38. As shown in FIG. 2, the foam insulation strip extends longitudinally the length of track member portions 25 and 26 and effectively prevents air movement in these portions of the track member channel. As further shown in FIG. 4, the insulation strip 40 projects outwardly from the channel so as to be engaged by the edge portion of the divider whereby the strip acts as a snubber accommodating expansion and contraction of the divider with varying temperatures within the refrigeration appliance.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, channel portion 37 is provided with an opening 41 opening downwardly therethrough to a portion of the trough 27 in the cabinet liner bottom wall portion 21 to pass condensate or other extraneous water from channel 38 into the trough for dissipation into the flowed refrigerated air as discussed above. As shown in FIG. 2, channel portion 37 may be provided with a plurality of such weep holes 41 as desired.

The track member is secured to the liner 12 by suitable means, such as screws 42, providing a resilient biasing of the flanges 36 against the liner with the channel portion 37 facially abutted with the liner surface.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the front portion of the divider may be provided with a flexible foam strip 43 received within inturned front flanges 44 thereof with the front end being enclosed in a suitable U-section trim strip 45.

Thus, the divider wall construction of the present invention provides an improved facilitated assembly wherein the divider wall may be quickly and sealingly secured in the track member in the assembly of the refrigeration apparatus. The improved track member construction provides for facilitated disposal of the condensate water by delivery thereof to the conventional troughs. Further, the track member provides for facilitated retention of the foam gasket strip in the portions 25 and 26 for preventing air movement in the vertical channel portions as well as providing improved cushioning of the divider wall for accommodating the expansion and contraction thereof as a result of variations in temperature within the interior space 13 of the appliance.

The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of the broad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.

Having described the invention, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer appliance having a cabinet defining an interior space and including a bottom wall portion and a vertical rear wall portion, a vertical divider separating said interior space into an above-freezing compartment and a laterally adjacent below-freezing compartment and defining a bottom edge portion and a rear edge portion, means for mounting said divider to said cabinet comprising an elongated track member extending horizontally across said cabinet bottom wall portion and vertically along said cabinet rear wall portion, said track member having wall means embracing said bottom edge portionand rear edge portion of the divider, means forming a longitudinally extending channel subjacent said bottom edge portion of the divider and rearwardly of said rear edge portion of the divider, passage means for conducting water such as condensate from said channel for delivery into the above-freezing compartment, and insulation means substantially filling at least the vertically extending portion of said channel.

2. The divider mounting means of claim 1 wherein said wall means of the track member comprises spaced flanges resiliently engaging opposite sides of the divider along said bottom edge and rear edge portions.

3. The divider mounting means of claim 1 wherein said passage means comprises an opening through the bottom of said channel means.

4. The divider mounting means of claim 1 further including inturned means overlying said channel for supporting the said bottom edge portion of the divider.

5. The divider mounting means of claim 1 wherein said insulation means comprise resilient means compressed by said rear edge portion of the divider.

6. In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer appliance having a cabinet defining an interior space and including a bottom wall portion, a vertical divider separating said interior space into an above-freezing compartment and a laterally adjacent below-freezing compartment and defining a bottom edge portion, means for mounting said divider to said cabinet comprising an elongated track member extending horizontally across said cabinet bottom wall portion, said track member having means embracing said bottom edge portion of the divider, means forming a longitudinally extending channel subjacent said bottom edge portion of the divider, and passage means for conducting water such as condensate from said channel for delivery into the above-freezing compartment.

7. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means. i

8. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means resiliently engaging opposite surfaces of the divider.

9. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said track member further includes flange means sealingly engaging said cabinet bottom wall portion.

10. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said passage means comprises an opening through said channel means.

11. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said passage means extends downwardly through said channel means.

12. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said channel means further defines support means extending inwardly from said divider embracing means, said bottom edge portion of the divider resting on said support means above said channel means.

13. In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer appliance having a cabinet defining an interior space including a vertical rear wall portion, a vertical divider separating said interior space into an above-freezing compartment and laterally adjacent below-freezing compartment and defining a rear edge portion, means for mounting said divider to said cabinet comprising an elongated track member extending vertically along said cabinet rear wall portion, said track member having means embracing said rear edge portion of the divider, means forming a longitudinally extending channel rearwardly of said rear edge portion of the divider, and resilient insulation means substantially filling said channel.

14. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means.

15. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means resiliently engaging opposite surfaces of the divider.

16. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said track member further includes flange means sealingly engaging said cabinet rear wall portion.

17. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said resilient insulation means comprises foam insulatron.

18. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said resilient insulation comprises foam insulation resiliently compressed in said channel by said rear edge portion of the divider. 

1. In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer appliance having a cabinet defining an interior space and including a bottom wall portion and a vertical rear wall portion, a vertical divider separating said interior space into an above-freezing compartment and a laterally adjacent below-freezing compartment and defining a bottom edge portion and a rear edge portion, means for mounting said divider to said cabinet comprising an elongated track member extending horizontally across said cabinet bottom wall portion and vertically along said cabinet rear wall portion, said track member having wall means embracing said bottom edge portion and rear edge portion of the divider, means forming a longitudinally extending channel subjacent said bottom edge portion of the divider and rearwardly of said rear edge portion of the divider, passage means for conducting water such as condensate from said channel for deliverY into the above-freezing compartment, and insulation means substantially filling at least the vertically extending portion of said channel.
 2. The divider mounting means of claim 1 wherein said wall means of the track member comprises spaced flanges resiliently engaging opposite sides of the divider along said bottom edge and rear edge portions.
 3. The divider mounting means of claim 1 wherein said passage means comprises an opening through the bottom of said channel means.
 4. The divider mounting means of claim 1 further including inturned means overlying said channel for supporting the said bottom edge portion of the divider.
 5. The divider mounting means of claim 1 wherein said insulation means comprise resilient means compressed by said rear edge portion of the divider.
 6. In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer appliance having a cabinet defining an interior space and including a bottom wall portion, a vertical divider separating said interior space into an above-freezing compartment and a laterally adjacent below-freezing compartment and defining a bottom edge portion, means for mounting said divider to said cabinet comprising an elongated track member extending horizontally across said cabinet bottom wall portion, said track member having means embracing said bottom edge portion of the divider, means forming a longitudinally extending channel subjacent said bottom edge portion of the divider, and passage means for conducting water such as condensate from said channel for delivery into the above-freezing compartment.
 7. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means.
 8. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means resiliently engaging opposite surfaces of the divider.
 9. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said track member further includes flange means sealingly engaging said cabinet bottom wall portion.
 10. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said passage means comprises an opening through said channel means.
 11. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said passage means extends downwardly through said channel means.
 12. The divider mounting means of claim 6 wherein said channel means further defines support means extending inwardly from said divider embracing means, said bottom edge portion of the divider resting on said support means above said channel means.
 13. In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer appliance having a cabinet defining an interior space including a vertical rear wall portion, a vertical divider separating said interior space into an above-freezing compartment and laterally adjacent below-freezing compartment and defining a rear edge portion, means for mounting said divider to said cabinet comprising an elongated track member extending vertically along said cabinet rear wall portion, said track member having means embracing said rear edge portion of the divider, means forming a longitudinally extending channel rearwardly of said rear edge portion of the divider, and resilient insulation means substantially filling said channel.
 14. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means.
 15. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said divider embracing means comprises spaced flanges on said track member upstanding from said channel means resiliently engaging opposite surfaces of the divider.
 16. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said track member further includes flange means sealingly engaging said cabinet rear wall portion.
 17. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said resilient insulation means comprises foam insulation.
 18. The divider mounting means of claim 13 wherein said resilient insulation comprises foam insuLation resiliently compressed in said channel by said rear edge portion of the divider. 